COLD. We arrived at Caprock Canyon State Park after sundown. Temperatures would be nearing freezing that night. Thankful for our 5th wheel and heater! Also, the art of cell phone imaging was not mastered on this trip, and I sort of hope it never has to be,...but I am thankful for these images that our broken camera could not provide.
Our one day to play at this park started winter-hat-and-mitten chilly AND windy. Not a fun outdoor combination. To buy some time before the predicted 60s temperatures arrived, we popped in the Visitor's Center, then let the girls play in the Children's Discovery Center. I was impressed; this small center is filled with wonderful activities for children of all ages to play and learn about the wildlife and history of the surrounding land. The girls chose an activity box all about bats. [at the Discovery Center]
With temperatures on the up, we said good-bye to the indoors but were happy to know we had a place to come back to if the weather wasn't bearable (although we never needed to return to the center on this trip). We still managed to squeeze in 2 small hikes before lunch. One took us to a natural bridge on the north end of Eagle Point Trail, which Espi and the girls were able to walk through. [on Eagle Point Trail]
[at the natural bridge, soon to climb through the opening with Daddy]
[view from Eagle Point]
The next hike was along the Upper Canyon Trail. We just went in a little and came out so we could see a few great views of the canyon walls and the layering of minerals along the riverbed. We also saw a canyon formation that we called the "totem pole."
[H, especially, loved finding rocks along the way]
[looking for faces in the "totem pole" while standing off the trail in the riverbed]
[couldn't resist, but apparently, Little A could]
[morning nap]
[H and I walked the riverbed back to the truck]
After a full morning, naps went GREAT.
And with needing to leave the next morning, we took it easy for the rest of the day, only going out again to play at the playground. Again the playground stop was a hit for these girls!
[soloing the monkey bars]
[wiggling the bridge]
[AD takes the big slide with Mom]
[Did I mention, it was cold?? All three camping cuties together at sundown.]
[You'll see a little scare in Little A's face. It was a long slide, but Espi helps end it with smiles.]
[And H wanted some smiles, too. Only dads can do this with an almost-6 year old!]
It was a little bittersweet, especially for my TX husband, heading back to the cold northern temperatures of CO. But there was no better way to return than with the many good memories made with family, friends, and enjoying the beauty of our land.
We arrived south of San Antonio at my mother-in-law's home to sobering news. Espi's great uncle passed on the day before. So on our first full day there we attended the funeral. It was a privilege to hear stories about this relative and meet and visit with this extended side of the family. [cousins, leaving the funeral]
The next day was our 9th anniversary.
It has been full, fun, and challenging years. I am so thankful for Espi, our marriage, our family, our home. God gave me a wonderful gift in him, I know well, but I also know I have and need a lifetime and more to understand the truth of this most fully.
[our day 2001]
We took off that day for the San Antonio Riverwalk while the kids played with their abuela. It was an 85 degree afternoon but cooled down with a nice breeze by evening.
9 years and 3 months earlier, Espi proposed to me on that riverwalk, a week before 9-11. We had only a 3 month engagement spurred on by that horrific day. We just didn't know if Espi's military brothers would be called to special duty in that near future, and we wanted them to be apart of our day. I am always amazed looking back at how beautifully the details came together given the short time span, and I loved our day in every way.
I must say that San Antonio is one of the most attractive cities I know. Great history. Great architecture. Very picturesque. In my opinion, the Riverwalk is a photographer's dream--so many great details. Throughout our long walk around, I was literally stopping and saying, "Oh, wow! Look at that! Sooo pretty!" numerous time to Espi.
[This was one of the many "oh, wow!" sites, and Espi sent me in for a picture. This staircase waterfall is part of the entrance to a hotel off the Riverwalk, and it was huge.]
[the details, big and small]
Near dinnertime, we chose to get a drink at a certain Mexican restaurant because the mariachi were playing there. Espi requested a song. As he was talking away in Spanish to the two singers, I was sure he was going to ask for one of the two songs played at our wedding. Espi requested a new song titled "Amor, Amor" because he said it sounded nice for our anniversary, but later admitted that he really wanted to request one of our wedding songs, too. In any case, the mariachi sounded great.
[We "stalk" the mariachi players. After our drink, we walked more before deciding seafood for dinner. Well, these mariachi don't just play at the Mexican restaurant; they float around all the restaurants of the Riverwalk. I took this picture soon after we sat down for dinner. After the song was over, they spilt. I think they were scared.]
Thanksgiving was filled with delicious food and all of my mother-in-law's boys and grandchildren. It was a fun time with family. One of my brother-in-laws and his wife brought over a cowboy hat and cowboy boot pinata filled with sweets in celebration of AD's first. The kids loved it!
[Ad's setting up for his first swing. Ha.]
[all the little cousins, before the candy gets scattered!]
[AD's real first swing...sort of]
Guess who cracked the boot??
The clip tells all:
I must say all pictures shown after the Riverwalk are from our cell phone. Our 6 year old camera is on its last leg and is now giving us very girly, pink images. Good news: we plan to have a new camera before Christmas. Bad news: the rest of our trip photos depended solely on a cell.
But our last camping trip was a chilly, windy, and short one...
Most every Thanksgiving since Espi and I married has been spent in TX. The holiday brings all the Espinoza boys back to Mom in their small hometown close to San Antonio.
[walking the fishing pier on our first windy morning]
[First hike was on the multi-use trail bordering Lost Creek Reservoir. Love cedar's handy uses down here.]
[passing through an old bridge frame that was transported to the 10 mile trailway for no function, just to add interest]
[oranges and Gatorade snack break about 1 mile in]
[This second child had to keep up with big sister as best she could. She finished 2 miles on her own little legs. The ranger we chatted with that morning surprised us as we were turning around for our 2 miles back out and asked us if we'd like a lift for the sake of the little ones. We all squeezed into his little Polaris ATV. He took us another 1/2 mile in to his favorite view on top of the dam with the lake on one side and a valley on the other. Then drove us most of the way back--we toughed it 1 more mile back to the truck with Little A in the jog stroller this time.]
[horse drawn wagons!? no problem!]
[After lunch and naps (ahhhhh, naps!), we explored an obscure trail behind the playground that passed through a beautiful stretch of reeds.]
[The trail led us to the back of the old fort grounds. It was too late for touring the buildings, but we had the privilege of having the grounds all to ourselves. Here we peek inside the thick walls of the "magazine" were ammunition, gun powder, weapons were stored. I asked the girls to give me a military stance; this is what I got.]
[hiking to the hospital, the largest building on the grounds]
[had to make-do with peeking in windows until opening hours the next day]
[Waiting to start our third hike down Lost Creek Nature Trail the next morning. It was very pretty and short--2 pluses with kids!]
[We enjoyed a lot of wildlife in this park, but watching this turtle swim and climb was probably the girls' highlight.]
[We enjoyed the bright fall colors around us. H pointed out how pretty these red leaves were. Of course, Little A joined right in with ooos and aahhhs. So sweet.]
[Another highlight for the girls was the playground--of course, the playground, right!?. Here AD watches his sisters swinging.]
[He didn't think this place was too bad either!]
[Although we were on our way to see Espi's brothers in couple days, his oldest brother and family live close to Ft. Worth and gave us a great treat by making time to visit and play with us at the park for the afternoon. Here three cousins walk the fort while giving H a ride on the oldest's shoulders; she adores these guys and was soaking it up!]
[inside the hospital]
[the Espinozas camping-style--messy hair, dirt covered pants, Big Red soda stained girls' lips--and loving life]
[Caught this at sundown our last night on a huge rock by our campsite. I couldn't resist sharing--a mix of sweet expressions.]
Then it came time to head deeper into the heart of TX...
